Bow sight



J. A. LA VIRE Oct. 6, 1953 BOW SIGHT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 11, 1952 EMU mu'ummummum: 21

if!!! 56 HWJIH will! Snnentox Jcl's ph A LaVi rE (Ittomeg/ J. A. LA VIRE BOW SIGHT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 11, 1952 a E m T m .1 D/ 3 "Wu 9 3 4 @o 66 A m E 5 D J 7 m F w. w 8 m P Gttomeg) Patented Oct. 6, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

BOW SIGHT Joseph A. La Vite, Pontiac, Mich.

Application June 11, 1952, Serial No. 292,817

This invention relates to adjustable bow sights. An important object of the invention is to provide a readily adjustable bow sight which is constructed and arranged to be manipulated by the 7 thumb of the user for vertical adjustment. Another important object is to provide a bow sight which is readily attached to a metal or pact slide therefor, and a small adjustable screw sight associated with the slide, so that the bow sight is not bulky nor does it interfere with the proper functioning of the bow limbs.

Additionally, the bow sight is light in weight,

includes no sight tube, and is relatively inexpen sive to manufacture.

Because of the specific slide adjusting means (ball and staggered sockets) employed, adjustments may be made by feel, so that the bow sight may be employed at night as well as by day and hunters may keep their eyes on the game while making adjustments when the bow sight is employed with a bow and arrows in hunting. Moreover, this means provides for a wide adjustment of the sight since each staggered'socket permits raising or lowering of theyardage by five yards.

The specific five yards raising or lowering is of especial benefit to archers with little experience, since field and target archery courses are laid out on five-yard variations.

A further object is to provide for ready disposal of the sight portion of the adjustable screw sight within the body of the slide when the bow sight is not being used. This protects the sight portion of the sight against damage.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of thefollowing detailed description of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a portion of this disclosure and in which drawings:

Fig. l is an elevation of a metallic bow the bow sight attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the bow sight detached from the bow of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section, substantially on the line 3-- 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4' and 5 are enlarged horizontal sections, through the slide of Fig. 2, substantially on the lines 4-74 and 5-5 respectively of Fig. 2;

with

1 Claim. (CI. 33-46) Fig. 6 is a view, somewhat like Fig; 5 but with the sight disposed within the body of the slide.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section of the bow attached end of the new sight.

Fig. 8 is an elevation of a wooden bow with a second form of the bow sight attached thereto.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged elevation of the bow sight of Fig. 1 detached from the bow.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary vertical section, along the lines of Fig. 7, of the bow-attached end of the bow sight of Figs. 8-9.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration are shown two forms of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter A designates a metallic bow of conventional construction; B, one form of the invention adapted for attachment to the bow A; C, a wooden bow; and D another form of the invention, which latter form is adapted for attachment to the bow C.

The bow A of Fig. 1 includes an upper limb I 5, lower limb l6, handle I! intermediate the limbs, and the bowstring 18. The side or belly of the bow facing the archer is designated as I9 and the side or back facing away from the archer is designated as 20. As is well known, the limbs I5 and i6 are set into the handle I! at their inner ends and, since the handle is greater in thickness than is either of the limbs, the vertical plane of the back l9 at the handle is outwardly of and spaced from the adjacent inner end portions of the limbs.

Referring mainly to Fig. 2, the new adjustable bow sight B comprises an elongated bow attached support 25, a slide 26 therefor, an adjustable sight portion 21 associated with the slide 26, holding means 28 for retaining the slide 26 in adjusted positions longitudinally of the support 25, attaching means 29 for attaching the support to the bow A; and means 36 to limit movement of the slide in one direction.

The elongated bow-attached support may be a substantially rigid metallic (as aluminum) or hardened plastic material strap having a bow facing face and an opposite upper limb and handle facing face 36 and opposite edgesfl! and 38 joining the faces 35 and 36. There are an upper-end portion 39 and a lower end portion 40, which latter may have a rounded edge 4|.

As shown mainly in Figs. 2, 4, 5 and -6, the slide 26 comprises a block of suitable metallic (as aluminum) or hardened plastic material with an outer face 46,.inner or opposite face '41, end faces -48,and 49 joining the faces 46 and 41, and upper and lower faces 5!) and 5| respectively joining the faces 46 to 49 inclusive. From the upper face 50 to the opposite or lower face extends a slot 52 to accommodate portions of the support so that the slide may be slid longitudinally of the support. This slot 52 is spaced nearer the face 41 so that a considerable portion of the block 45 is forwardly of the slot.

The block 45 has a preferably screw-threaded bore 53 extending from the face 48 to the face 49 forwardly of-the slot 52 and consequently with its longitudinal axissubstantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the slot 52.

Accommodated' as in Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive; within the bore 53 are portions of the adju t bl sight portion 21 which comprises a preferably exteriorly screw-threaded cylindrical part 55 and a smooth surfaced head part 55 reduc d inicircumference over the part 55, tapered toward its outer end and ending in a button or enlargement- :51.

,inadjusted positions longitudinally of the support 25 is, as shown in Fig. 4, a pair of spring biased balls 60 carried by the slide and adapted o. fitpartlyinto and slide readily from a plural ity of spaced-apart sockets Bl inthe face 350i the support 25.: The balls -60 extend outwardly of apair ofhorizontally-disposed spaced-apart recesses 52 extending from theface of the slot 52 nearestthe face 46. The balls'are urged outwardly byexpansion spiral springs-:53 which are within the recesses 62. Thesockets 61 are arcuate depressions and arranged in'two parallel rowslongitudinally of the intermediateipart of the support 25 with the sockets 6| of one row staggeredwith respect-to those of the other row as is clear in Fig; 2. This arrangement ofballs 55 andsockets 5| permits. a plurality of slight adjustments of the slide longitudinally of the support, and manipulation of the slide is rendered easier since but. one ball is within a socket at anyv one time as may be appreciated from the Showing in Figs. 2 and .4. In order to adjust the tension of the springs 83, I prefer to provide screws-64 extending into screw threaded openings, axially alignedwith the. sockets 62 (and with their inner ends, formin sthe bottoms-of 'the-SQckets and bearing against the inneredges of thesprings) Anysuitable attaching means 29 for attaching-the support 25 to the bow A may be provided. Inthe. example shown, this comprises two suitable screws 65 and 66 shown in Fig. 7 with their shanks extending through spaced-apart openingsfi'l and 68 in the lower portion 40 of the support and, into suitable screw-threaded sockets 69. and L5 in the handle 1. In order to steady the. support. 25 I may provide a washer H encircling a portion of the shank of the screw 65 and, disposed against the face 36.0f the support and the belly side of the handle I1.

Means to limit movement of the slide 26 in one direction may be a-pin or projection extending outwardly from the face at the upper end portion-35015 the support; Thus the slide cannotbeslid off the upper end portion since a part ofthe face will'come into contact with this pin. The handle H, of course, limits downward movement of the slide when the adjustable sight B is attached as in Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 8, the bow C has an upper limb 15, lower limb 16, handle I1 and bowstring 18. The bow C has a belly l9 and back 80. The handle is covered with a suitable overlapped covering 8|, all being well known construction.

The form Dof the invention, shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10 is much like the form B, and comprises an elongated bow-attached support 85, slide 26 therefor, an adjustable sight 2! associated with the slide 26, means 28 for retaining the slide 28 ii -adjusted positions longitudinally of the support 85, means 86 for attaching the support to "the bow-o; and means 30 to limit movement of the slide in one direction.

The support is preferably exactly like the support 25 except that the support 85 preferably follows more closely the contour of the upper limb' l5 and has a-straight loweredge 90, while themeans- 86 of form D comprises-two screws with-their shanks extending through suitable spacedeapart-openings 96 in the lower end portion 4W0? the support 85 and into suitable screwthreaded sockets 51 in the handle H. It-ispreierred that the lower end portion 40 of the support 85 be disposed under-a portion of the. covering 8| as is clear in Fig. 10.

When either sight-B or D is mounted onits bowA or C, and the sight. portion 21 adjusted .to the eye of the archer, a trial arrow is shot with the enlargement 57 hearing on thegold. From thevfiight'of the arrow the proper: adjustment of theslide 251s made; with respect to each alternatesocket 5! so as to permit raising. or lowering ofthe yardage.

In both form'sof the. invention; the sights B andD are not attached toathe limbs of' the bows A or C in'any way, they do. not include sight tubes which are apt to accumulate foreign matter, thereare no calibrations, which would require illumination in order to make adjustments, there are: no parts apt to become loosened and drop away, and. the single sight portion tends to eliminate confusion when sighting.

Various changes may be made to the forms of the. invention herein shown and described withoutzdeparting from the spirit of the invention or scopeof the claim.

What is claimed is:

' A bow sight including an elongatedsupport having abowstring facing face, opposite end portions, and a bow limb facing face; means at one of the end portions for mounting the support-upon a bow handle between the bowstring and. the bow limb and with the support spaced wholly from the bow limb; a slide carried by the support; fixed means at the other end portion for retaining the slide against sliding oifsaid support; an elongated. sight'member carried by the slide; means for adjusting the sight member transversely of the support comprising a rotatable member having screw threads and the wall of a. screw-threaded bore of said slide. said screw threads cooperating with the screw threads of said bore wall, and 'saidsight member having a sight projection at oneof its free ends, the length and diameter of said bore being such that said sight projection may be accommodated in said bore when the sight member isrotated in one direction, whereby said sight projection may be protected by the bore wall when the sight member is-not in use; and holding means'carried by the slide and supportto maintain the slidein sespaced-apart rows of a plurality of closely spaced-apart ball-accommodating sockets having their socket walls in the support and opening to the first-named face, being disposed with one row in the path of travel of one ball and the other row disposed in the path of travel of the other ball when the slide is slid longitudinally of the support, the sockets of one row being staggered with respect to the sockets of the other row.

JOSEPH A. LA VIRE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 5 134,772 914,855 1,961,517 2,005,866 2,229,637 10 2,600,250

Number 15 160,624

Name Date Schottky et al. Jan. 14, 1873 Mastrangel Mar. 9, 1909 Klopsteg June 5, 1934 Lowe June 25, 1935 Burton Jan. 28, 1941 Lake et a1. June 10', 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Mar. 31, 1921 r 

